I was having a conversation with my friend a few days ago and we spoke about a lot of things. One of which was having a good, maybe not a perfect work-life thing. Yeah I know, I don't usually write about topics like this, but get use to it.
My friend had only just come to see me at work. He needed my drawing tablet for some gig of his. I haven't seen him in ages, so a long conversation ensued. He is one of those buds of mine, then we always delve into everything with our conversation. A brilliant lad. I started whingeing about how work has been tedious and how it has affected everything I usually do. Then I told him I had decided to quite and do some other self-development stuff; a sort of career transition thing. His argument was that there is no such thing as a perfect work-life balance, that the so called "gurus" just feed people with that BS and make them feel in control. He was kinda making send, and come to think of it, humans do like to feel in control don't they?.
Then he made a very valid point. "If we truly want something, we chase it through and through, even to the detriment of something else more important. If a mother sees her children or family as top priority, she puts them first. She doesn't try to bargain. If she was given an opportunity to take a raise, but receive more work, she'd reject as that would mean spend more time away from her family. Same story if it was vice versa. If career is priority, she would jump on the raise and give the kids to a chaperone or something. There is always a price to pay.
Now why am I saying all this? Even I wonder. Well, it made me realize that I don't have to strive for perfection, neither should you. It's only an illusion. There is always more. More money, more women, more men, more responsibility, more worries, more troubles, more work, more everything. Finding a balance is not doing everything perfectly (work and personal life). Finding a balance is making a priority list and taking it quite seriously. We all get to that stage in life, it's inevitable. Understand that getting something right because you really want it might require you to sacrifice something else.
As always, there is always a grey area. I like to mention this anytime I write stuff like this, because I believe life is a top mystery and one of the mystical phenomena of life is the different sides there is to everything issues. So, you can maintain a good working life while still doing the needful with family, and health. Excercising and all, but it's not a perfect balance. You've made an unconscious choice, and made priority of what you see as more important.
Well, I hope this all makes sens.
Cheers.